Women remain underrepresented in senior leadership, still paid less in many sectors: report

Despite notable strides towards gender equity in recent decades, South Africa continues to grapple with significant disparities in the workplace, particularly women’s representation in senior leadership roles. 

Pnet, South Africa’s leading online recruitment platform, has analysed five years of hiring and salary trends to reveal that women remain underrepresented in senior leadership, and continue to be paid less than men in many sectors, even when performing the same roles with similar experience.

The report shows that the gender gap persists in the workplace, reflected in how opportunities, pay and career progression are distributed between women and men.

These insights come ahead of the release of Pnet’s Women’s Month Job Market Trends Report, which will delve deeper into gender representation in the workplace.

According to Anja Bates, head of data at Pnet, with unequal access to leadership roles, pay disparities for similar work and occupational segregation, women continue to face systemic barriers that limit their full participation in the job market.

“These inequalities don’t just affect individuals; they hold back economic growth and undermine the principle of equal opportunity for all,” said Bates.

Pnet didn’t analyse every job title, leadership appointment or salary range in the market but instead selected a representative sample of roles where there was sufficient and proportionate employment data for female and male professionals. 

Pnet’s data for the past five years has revealed that women continue to make inroads in middle management. They have accounted for about 46% of candidates taking up a middle or department management role, and men for 52% of these roles (gender data is not available for the remaining 3%).

However, when it comes to candidates taking up a new senior management role, female representation declines to 40% and male representation rises to 57% (data is not available for 3%). 

According to the data, the gap grows even further among new starters in executive management and director roles, where women account for 37%, men for 61% and unknown for 2%. 

Bates believes that the roles often come with greater responsibility, decision-making power and higher salaries. 

“Access to leadership — and the benefits that come with it — remains unequal. It is evident that the more senior the role, the less likely it becomes that it will be awarded to a female candidate,” said Bates.

Pnet analysed new job opportunities of female and male candidates over the past 12 months and explored salary differences for women and men for the same job roles. Pnet focused on the largest job market, Gauteng province, in its analysis, and the key findings illustrate that men still command higher salaries than women in most roles.

“The data shows that women not only become more underrepresented as roles become more senior — they also tend to be paid less for experience and seniority than men. Accountants, where women out-earn men, and marketing managers in the manufacturing industry, where they are on even footing, are intriguing exceptions,” said Bates. 

Pnet data shows traditional “pink collar” jobs, mostly care, administration and customer service roles, are still overwhelmingly held by women.

Data from the past five years shows about eight to nine of 10 of these roles are occupied by women.

Conversely, technical, heavy manual and transport-related roles such as plumber, machinist, truck driver and industrial repair technician remain predominantly male — reflecting ongoing gender imbalances in sectors traditionally viewed as physically demanding or mechanically focused.

Bates believes every job should be a fair opportunity regardless of gender.

“For companies, this is not just about employment equity or diversity goals. It’s about building a more resilient, innovative business. Companies that prioritise gender diversity see improved financial performance and market reach. It’s clear that we can do more to level the playing field for women through flexible work policies, mentorship and targeted recruitment. A platform like Pnet can help by providing access to a large candidate base that represents South Africa’s rich diversity.”